Main Content

Howard Fast papers

Ms. Coll. 1205

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held
at the University of Pennsylvania. Unless
otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our
reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Materials are primarily in English with several in Russian and a very few in Bulgarian, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek,
Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Yiddish.

Abstract:

Howard Melvin Fast (1914-2003) was a best-selling and prolific American author of historical fiction, mysteries, and science
fiction, known for his books on themes of patriotism, social justice, and the immigrant experience. He wrote nearly 100 books
and more than 150 short stories, as well as numerous screenplays, stage plays, and newspaper columns. The Howard Fast papers
include correspondence, journals, appointment books, address books, financials, writings, promotion and reviews, scrapbooks,
biographies, profiles, chronologies, bibliographies, interviews, governmental and political files, vital records, personal
documents, awards, photographs, artwork, and audiovisual materials. The papers were deposited at the University of Pennsylvania
over the course of 45 years and represent nearly all facets of the writer's life.

Biography/History

Howard Melvin Fast (1914-2003) was a best-selling and prolific American author of historical fiction, mysteries, and science
fiction, known for his books on themes of patriotism, social justice, and the immigrant experience. He wrote nearly 100 books
and more than 150 short stories, as well as numerous screenplays, stage plays, and newspaper columns. He was a member of the
Communist Party of the United State of America (CPUSA) from 1944 to 1956 and was forced to testify before the House Un-American
Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1946 and the McCarthy Hearings (Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI)) in 1953. He
spent three months in prison in 1950 for Contempt of Congress and was blacklisted from publishing in the United States during
the late 1940s through the 1950s. He renounced his Communist Party membership in 1957 and was able to publish again, continuing
to write well into his 80s.

Howard Fast was born November 11, 1914 in New York City, the fourth of five children of Barney and Ida Fast. Barney Fast came
to the United States at the age of nine in 1878 from the Ukrainian town of Fastov, which immigration officials shortened to
become the surname Fast. Ida Miller was of Lithuanian descent and grew up in England. She came to the United States at the
age of fifteen in 1897, her passage paid for by Barney, who had fallen in love with her through a photograph. Their five children
included one girl and four boys: Rena, Arthur (who died, age six, in 1912), Jerome, Howard, and Julius. When Howard was only
eight years old his mother Ida died of pernicious anemia.

The family lived in severe poverty in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Barney held a series of low-paying
jobs including iron worker, cable car motorman, tin worker, and garment worker, but frequently he was on strike or unemployed.
Howard remembered, "So profound and so complete was the poverty of my childhood, that to this day I can recall it only with
feelings of utmost terror and sorrow." Fast's older sister Rena left home to marry when Howard was just ten, leaving Barney
to raise his boys alone. Julius was sent to live with his maternal grandmother, and Howard and Jerome took to stealing bread,
dairy products, and clothing from neighbors to get by.

Beginning at the ages of ten and eleven, the two boys worked as daily newspaper delivery boys, while continuing to attend
school. Other jobs followed for the young Howard, including stints working for a butcher shop, cigar factory, hat maker, and
dress factory. Then he landed a job as a page in the Harlem branch of the New York Public Library. There he discovered the
writings of Jack London (
The Iron Heel) and George Bernard Shaw (
The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism), two works which would become important in the development of his beliefs in socialism and communism.

Graduating from George Washington High School (P.S. 46) in 1931, Howard continued to work to help support Jerome's attendance
at college, and spent a year on scholarship at the National Academy of Design in New York City. By this time Howard had begun
writing in earnest, the family agreeing to rent a typewriter for him for $1.75 a month. Three months later he had his first
story, "The Wrath of the Purple," a science fiction piece published in the magazine
Amazing Stories. It was also around this time that he met a young Communist leader named Sarah Kunitz. Howard fell hard for her, but she
rebuffed him, and discouraged him from joining the party at such a young age.

After only a year at the Academy, and feeling rejected by Sarah, Howard with his friend Devery Freeman embarked on a "walking
tour" of the South. The young men worked a string of odd jobs such as laundryman, delivery boy, and construction worker to
get from one economically depressed town to the next. During this time many of Howard's political ideas continued to form
and he decided to become a full-time writer when he returned to New York City.

Fast's first two novels,
Two Valleys (1933) and
Strange Yesterday (1934) were published in quick succession, but they were barely noticed by the critics. Sarah Kunitz's response, however,
was devastating. She characterized them as escapist fairy tales not worthy of his own working-class background, and she challenged
him to use his own experiences to write in support of the people.

Fast's first big break was his short story, "The Children," which was published in the prestigious
Story magazine in 1937. It contains Fast's harrowing memory from childhood of a Halloween lynching of a black boy by other children.
The story was a sensation and was banned in seven New England cities including Boston, ensuring even greater notoriety. Also
in 1937, Fast married Bette Cohen (1917-1994), having met on a blind date two years earlier. Cohen was originally from Bayonne,
New Jersey, and attended the Parsons School of Fine Art where she studied drawing and sculpture.

Additional successes followed. In 1939, Fast published
Conceived in Liberty, his first important and successful book. Taking place at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-1778, it depicts the American
Revolution at its lowest point, and was inspired by a trip to the then State Park by Howard and Bette in 1938. This was followed
by
The Last Frontier, published in 1941. Intrigued by a story he had heard of the arduous and bloody trek made in 1878 by the Northern Cheyenne
from their reservation in Oklahoma Territory to their homeland in Wyoming and Montana, Howard and Bette took a trip out west
in 1939. There they visited Indian reservations and met survivors of the saga, and learned about the area's history from experts
at the University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Historical Society. In 1942, Fast published a third historical novel and the
second to take place during the Revolutionary War.
The Unvanquished takes place in 1776, and covers George Washington's army from the Battle of Long Island through the crossing of the Delaware.

With the possibility of being called to service during World War II (Fast had a low draft number), he decided to join the
war effort by seeking a job in the Office of War Information (OWI) in 1942. There he was put in charge of writing dramatic
radio programs which were broadcast through the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to occupied Europe. This was the start
of Voice of America (VOA) and Fast was extremely successful in this endeavour. However, by 1943, when VOA decided to move
its operations to North Africa, Fast's left-leaning opinions and activities had come to the attention of the FBI and he was
denied the opportunity to continue on in the OWI. Determined to get even closer to the action, Fast became a war correspondent
for
Esquire and
Coronet magazines, covering North Africa, India, and Burma. It was around this time, too, that Fast finally joined the Communist
Party (late 1943) and that he and Bette had their first child, Rachel Ann Fast (born in 1944).

Meanwhile, Fast published two more highly successful books:
Citizen Tom Paine in 1943 and
Freedom Road in 1944.
Citizen Tom Paine tells the fictionalized story of the life of the important pamphleteer and financial backer of the Revolutionary War. Critically
received upon its debut, the book became one of Fast's best-selling novels. During World War II the State Department had it
published in pocket-size and widely distributed in at least eight languages.
Freedom Road got its inspiration from Fast's connections to left-leaning African Americans Paul Robeson and W.E.B. Du Bois. Set in the
South during Reconstruction, Fast infused the work with his own beliefs in racial justice and timely connections to the contemporary
war against racism blanketing Europe. Again, this novel sold millions of copies and was translated into more than 80 languages.

In 1946, Fast served as contributing editor and then editorial board member of the American Marxist magazine,
New Masses, and covered labor issues for the Communist Party sponsored newspaper, the
Daily Worker. He was also summoned twice before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) that year. In his first appearance,
Fast was questioned about his board membership in the Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee (JAFRC). Charged with being a Communist
front organization, the JAFRC had funded a hospital for Republican Army survivors who had fled Spain following the Spanish
Civil War. Called before the House committee, the sixteen board members and the executive secretary of the JAFRC each refused
to turn over the organization's donor records, and were cited with Contempt of Congress and Conspiracy.

In Fast's second appearance before the House committee that year, he was questioned about his 1944 book,
The Incredible Tito: Man of the Hour, which suggested that the JAFRC had aided Yugoslavian Communist leader Josip Broz Tito. For the initial contempt charge,
Fast received a three-month prison term and fine of $500. He was released on $1,000 bond. Fast and his colleagues of the JAFRC
lost the opportunity to appeal when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear their case,
Barsky, et al. v. United States of America, in 1950.

Once word of Fast's unconfirmed membership in the Communist Party spread throughout the media, he found himself on the losing
end of a number of fights. His book
Citizen Tom Paine, which had previously sold millions of copies and had been printed for troops during WWII, came under attack from the Board
of Superintendents of the New York City Public School System, which recommended it be removed from all school libraries. Ostensibly
singled out for its content, not the political leanings of its author, the book was banned by a vote of six to one among school
board members, who characterized Fast as a "public representation of Communist totalitarianism" and the books as being "lewd
and lascivious." Further bans on the book were attempted in Scarsdale, New York, where the notorious Committee of Ten attempted
to have it and other books by Fast removed from the high school library.

In late 1947, because of his growing Communist reputation, Fast was banned from speaking at Columbia University. Bans from
Brooklyn College and Hunter College soon followed. A year later, though, he appeared at New York University, and Columbia
University reversed course and allowed him to speak as well.

Between 1946 and 1948 Fast published three books which met with modest success,
The American in 1946,
Clarkton in 1947, and
My Glorious Brothers in 1948.
The American is a biographical novel of John Peter Altgeld, the Governor of Illinois from 1893-1897, who pardoned three anarchist bombers
involved in the Haymarket Riot of 1886.
Clarkton concerns the labor issues of a contemporary Massachusetts mill town. And
My Glorious Brothers tells a story of the Jewish struggle for homeland in the time before Christ. Fast's second child, Jonathan, was born in 1948.

In 1949, the civil rights activist and African American singer Paul Robeson was scheduled to perform a benefit concert for
the Civil Rights Congress in Peekskill, New York. Fast, Robeson's friend, had driven from New York City to chair the concert.
However, it was called off when mobs attacked the audience, threw rocks at Robeson's vehicle and shouted insults. A cross
was burned and Robeson was lynched in effigy. Rescheduled for a later date with security organized by the trade unions, the
concert itself took place without incident. But cars leaving the venue were once again pummeled with stones and rocks and
some attendees were dragged from their cars and beaten. Fast wrote eloquently about the series of events in his 1951 book,
Peekskill: USA.

Throughout his life, Fast was involved in a number of groups which were considered communist front organizations by anti-communists.
These included the National Council of Arts, Sciences and Professions, the National Council of American-Soviet Friendship,
the League of American Writers, and Jewish Writers and Artists, among others. In 1949, Fast helped organize the Cultural and
Scientific Conference for World Peace which was held in New York City at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Later that year he attended
the First World Congress of Peace Partisans in Paris, France. He had hoped to attend the Second World Congress in Warsaw,
Poland in 1950, but the State Department refused his request for a passport. A passport was refused again in 1953 when the
Soviet Union awarded Fast the Stalin Peace Prize for Promoting Peace Among Nations.

In 1950, after exhausting all attempts at appealing the Contempt of Congress charge, Fast served three months in prison at
the Mill Point Federal Prison in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. While in prison, Fast read Tolstoy's
War and Peace and worked on the manuscript for what would become his novel
Spartacus. Fast later said he became a pacifist while listening to prayers of men on death row.

After being released, Fast submitted his manuscript for
Spartacus to his publisher, Little, Brown. Although it initially received praise from editor Angus Cameron, the book was soon rejected
by the company, fearful of being taken as a Communist front. Other mainstream publishers would not touch it either so Fast
decided to self publish in 1951 and began his own publishing company, Blue Heron Publishing House, in 1952. Blue Heron operated
until 1957, publishing or republishing eleven books by Fast as well as works by other blacklisted authors including Edward
Biberman, Stefan Heym, Walter Lowenfels, and Meridel Le Sueur. While Fast's efforts at running a publishing house were not
terribly successful, he had a hit on his hands with
Spartacus. The story about a Roman slave revolt sold 48,000 copies in 1952 and eventually sold millions. In 1960 it was turned into
the now famous film of the same name starring Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier.

In 1952 Fast became a candidate for the 23rd congressional district of New York on the American Labor Party (ALP) ticket.
His campaign, funded in large part from the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), faltered and he finished
last among a field of four candidates. Fast's only other significant involvement in electoral politics had been his efforts
to help elect Henry A. Wallace for President on the Progressive Party ticket in 1948. That effort had also been thwarted by
its association with Communist supporters like Fast.

In 1953, Fast was again summoned before Congress, this time in front of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the
Senate Government Operations Committee, known colloquially as the McCarthy Hearings, after its leader, Senator Joe McCarthy.
Fast and several others were questioned about their employment by Voice of America (VOA) during the war and its association
with the Office of War Information (OWI). As he had when questioned before the House Un-American Activities committee in 1946,
Fast refused to answer any questions about his association with Communism, citing protections under the First and Fifth Amendments
of the Constitution.

Novels published between 1953 and 1957 include
The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti (1953), which Fast had clearly associated with the contemporary Julius and Ethel Rosenberg case, and
Silas Timberman (1955) and
The Story of Lola Gregg (1956), both of which deal with McCarthyism of the late 1940s and 1950s. Unsurprisingly, these novels did not get much traction
at the time in the United States, but were praised in the Soviet Union.

In 1957, after learning about past atrocities committed by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, Fast officially and publicly abandoned
the Communist Party. News of the former leader's abuse of power gradually made its way to the United States after being revealed
by Stalin's successor Nikita Khrushchev in a secret speech delivered at the Twentieth Communist Party Congress in Moscow in
1956. Fast confirmed rumours that he had left the Communist Party in an interview in the
New York Times in early 1957 and expanded on his views in an article he wrote for
Masses and Mainstream the same year. Fast's explanation for his commitment to and eventual departure from the Communist Party is treated in two
of his non-fiction books,
The Naked God, published in 1957, and
Being Red, from 1990.

After Fast's break from the Communist Party, he enjoyed continued success as a writer of historical novels and had a stint
as a screenwriter in Hollywood. The highly successful
April Morning (1961), a coming of age novel set at the Battle of Lexington during the American Revolution, went on to become assigned reading
in many young adult social studies courses (showing that Fast's reputation had thoroughly rebounded since the days when
Citizen Tom Paine had been banned in the schools).
The Hessian (1972) also takes place during the Revolutionary War, and tells the story of a German drummer boy in service to the British
who is put on trial over the death of a mentally challenged resident of a small Connecticut town. Fast also began writing
mystery novels under the pseudonym, E.V. Cunningham. Twelve novels titled with women's names were published between 1960 and
1973, and an additional eight novels, some featuring a Japanese Zen Buddhist detective from Beverly Hills, were produced between
1969 and 1986, all under the Cunningham pen name.

From the late 1950s through the 1960s, Fast wrote screenworks for Universal Pictures and Paramount Studios, as well as for
Pennebaker Films and Alfred Hitchcock. In the 1970s, Fast moved to Hollywood and continued to write screenplays for the studios.
Besides the 1960 production of
Spartacus, other films based on Fast's books include
Rachel and the Stranger (1948),
Cheyene Autumn (1964),
Man in the Middle (1964), and
Mirage (1965), in addition to adaptations of his E.V. Cunningham books,
Sylvia (1965) and
Penelope (1966). Fast also wrote or adapted several works for television including
Freedom Road (1979),
April Morning (1987), and
The Crossing (1999).

Fast's best selling works of this time were those in the Immigrant series, a collection of six historical novels (
The Immigrants,
Second Generation,
The Establishment,
The Legacy,
The Immigrant's Daughter, and
An Independent Woman) chronicling the lives of an American immigrant family in San Francisco over several generations. The novels, published between
1977 and 1997, were a commercial success for Fast, selling over 10 million copies, and also led to a television miniseries.

Fast also wrote several plays which saw some success, including
David and Paula (1982), about the Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion and his wife, and
The Novelist, about the writer Jane Austen, which was written in 1976, but not produced until 1987. An earlier play,
Thirty Pieces of Silver (1951), which featured as a main character Judas Iscariot, had enormous success in performances in Prague, Vienna, Berlin,
and Warsaw, among other European cities.

Fast continued to write well into his eighties, penning a column called War and Peace in the
New York Observer from 1989 to 1993, and a weekly
Greenwich Time column from 1992 to 2001. His last novel,
Greenwich, was published in 2000.

Fast's wife Bette died of colon cancer in 1994, two days before his 80th birthday. In 1999 Fast married his literary assistant,
Mercedes (Mimi) O'Connor. Howard Fast died on March 12, 2003 at the age of 88.

Scope and Contents

There are ten series in the Howard Fast papers: "Correspondence," "Journals, appointment books, address books, financials,"
"Writings," "Promotion and reviews of Howard Fast's works," "Scrapbooks," "Biographies, profiles, chronologies, bibliographies,
interviews," "Governmental and political files," "Vital records, personal documents, awards," "Photographs and artwork," and
"Audiovisual materials." The papers were deposited at the University of Pennsylvania over the course of 45 years and represent
nearly all facets of the writer's life.

The series of "Correspondence" is further divided into four sub-series: "Correspondent," arranged alphabetically; "Topic,"
arranged alphabetically; "Chronological," arranged by year; and correspondence transferred to the University of Pennsylvania
from the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee. Description of these sub-series may be seen in the Contents note at the series
level.

Among all the correspondence subseries, letters both to and from Howard Fast are included together. Fast often kept carbon
copies of his replies or used carbon paper to include his reply on the verso of the letter he received.

In correspondence from 1992 with the director of the University of Pennsylvania Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Fast wrote
that "During the worst of the McCarthy period, I sent some material to Czechoslovakia, thinking the stuff would be destroyed
if it remained here---correspondence and some original manuscripts." In a following letter he says "My original scripts are
simply typed, by myself mostly. I have some. Others, at a time when I was sure they'd be destroyed, were sent to Czechoslovakia
and Russia---as was some of the best correspondence." It is not clear where, exactly, he might have sent these materials,
and his son Jonathan is not aware of any of his father's material going to the Eastern Bloc.

The series "Journals, appointment books, address books, financials" contains personal writings and documents of Fast and his
family. There are five short travel journals penned between 1939 and 1978. Some of these are in the hands of both Fast and
his wife Bette, who seemed to trade off writing about their travel together. A continuous run of appointment books exist from
1959 to 2003, the year of Fast's death. There are three files of names, telephone numbers, and/or addresses of friends, relatives
and acquaintances of Fast. Finally there are several files of financial material, including those concerning the building
of a home in Mt. Pleasant, New York in 1941 and 1942, a detailed income record for Fast between 1945 and 1953, and a grouping
of financial holdings for the period circa 1984-1995, as well as a few additional files.

The series "Writings" is subdivided by genre and includes both the novels written under Fast's pseudonym E.V. Cunningham as
well as those published under his own name, his non-fiction books, stage works, works for screen, and adaptations of Fast's
works by others. Also in this series are story ideas and short stories, as well as short-form non-fiction works such as essays,
newspaper articles, and pamphlet texts. Poetry by Fast round out his own writings and there is one file of poems to or about
Howard Fast by others. The remainder of the series is comprised of writings--some by Fast, some not--which were collected
by Fast into groupings which have now been labeled "Writings by Howard Fast in bound periodicals," "Monographs collected by
Howard Fast" (that is, not by Howard Fast), and "Periodicals collected by Howard Fast" (again, not by Howard Fast). Throughout,
the "Writings" series files have been described as fully as possible to indicate what state the writings are in ("draft,"
"galley," "printers proof"), whether they are in manuscript, typescript, or a published form, and for published works, full
citations of both books and articles. For books, short stories, and short-form non-fiction, every attempt has been made to
indicate if a work was published or unpublished during Fast's lifetime, however, no attempt has been made to indicate likewise
for the production of stageworks or the release of works for screen.

The series "Promotions and reviews" includes material such as clippings, flyers, brochures, programs, and posters created
to advertise Fast's works, as well as reviews of these works. It is organized by the title of the work. Several files at the
end of the series include material on Fast's brother Jerry, his son Jonathan, as well as more general material on Fast and
his works. The series "Scrapbooks," covering the years 1933-1978, similarly contains material advertising or reviewing Fast's
works, as well as news service clippings on the appearance of Howard Fast's name. Several incidents in Fast's life are well
documented through these clippings, including Fast's involvement in the labor movement, his membership in the Joint Anti-Fascist
Refugee Committee (JAFRC), testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), bans against Fast on speaking
at area colleges and universities, the banning of his books, and the riots at Peekskill, New York. Most of the contents of
the scrapbooks are in English with some in a variety of foreign languages. There are also clippings of his columns in various
newspapers. Many of the scrapbooks are in poor condition. Those which were most brittle have been taken apart and the contents
foldered. As the scrapbooks are extremely fragile, researchers are asked to take extra caution when handling the material.

The series "Biographies, profiles, chronologies, bibliographies, interviews" contains published and unpublished documents
on the life and works of Howard Fast. These are grouped by category and arranged in chronological order.

The series "Governmental and political files" contains Fast's voluminous FBI files (1944-1958), his testimony before the House
Un-American Activities Committee (1946-1947) and subsequent appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court (1946-1948), and material on
his American Labor Party campaign for Congress (1952).

The series "Vital records, personal documents, awards" contains such records as family birth, marriage, and death certificates,
report cards, diplomas, identification cards, passports, and awards, including an honorary doctorate for Fast from Rowan University.

The series "Photographs and artworks" contains photographic portraits and other professional shots of Fast, as well as candid
scenes of Fast, his family, friends, and associates. There are also photographs of book displays and productions of his works.
Among the artwork included in this series are non-photographic depictions of Fast, comics, sketches by his wife Bette, and
an oil painting of characters from his book The Immigrants.

The final series of "Audiovisual material" includes videotape from the television production of
The Crossing and a laserdisc release of the movie
Spartacus, as well as spoken-word audio of his works on cassette and sound disc (LP). Access to original audiovisual materials is restricted.

Administrative Information

Publication Information

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, 2016 May 16

Finding Aid Author

Finding aid prepared by John F. Anderies

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research use; however, access to original audiovisual materials (Series X) is restricted. The Kislak
Center will provide access to the information on these materials from duplicate master files. If the original does not already
have a copy, it will be sent to an outside vendor for copying. Patrons are financially responsible for the cost. The turnaround
time from request to delivery of digital items is about two weeks for up to five items and three to seven weeks for more than
five items. Please contact Reprographic Services (reprogr@upenn.edu) for cost estimates and ordering. Once digital items are
received, researchers will have access to the files on a dedicated computer in the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center. Researchers
should be aware of specifics of copyright law and act accordingly.

Use Restrictions

Copyright restrictions may exist. For most library holdings, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright.
It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the
Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Subject(s)

Collection Inventory

I. Correspondence.

Scope and Contents note

The series of "Correspondence" is divided into four sub-series: "Correspondent," arranged alphabetically; "Topic," arranged
alphabetically; "Chronological," arranged by year; and correspondence transferred to the University of Pennsylvania from the
University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.

The vast majority of Fast's correspondence was maintained in alphabetical files by correspondent, arranged by either personal
or organizational name. This order has been maintained, while materials found out of order or without order have been added
to this sub-series. Generally, if the correspondence concerns personal affairs or is not obviously related to the organization,
it has been filed under the writer's (signatory's) name, while correspondence that is clearly concerning the business of the
organization is filed under the name of the organization (such as agencies, clubs, law firms, publishers, schools and universities).
Files with three or more pieces of correspondence have been foldered and are listed in the finding aid individually, while
those with fewer pieces are included in miscellaneous files at the end of each alphabetical letter.

The second sub-series of correspondence is arranged alphabetically by subject or topic as determined by Fast. This includes
files of material by categories of individuals (for instance, "Clergy" or "Israeli publishers"), by location ("Germany correspondence"),
on particular events or experiences ("England trips" or "Prison"), concerning a particular topic ("Pacifism" or "Writers and
peace"), and for particular works of his ("Freedom Road (play)"). If a work does not contain a designation of its form, such
as "play," "film," or "musical," it is assumed to be one of his books.

The third sub-series of correspondence is arranged chronologically by year. At times, especially in his later years, Howard
Fast maintained his correspondence in chronological order by year. He may have intended to file these materials alphabetically
at a later date as one file was originally marked "current correspondence to be filed, 1992-1993." Some material from Fast's
later years did get filed alphabetically and will be found in the alphabetical sub-series, but much did not. These distinctions
have been maintained.

A fourth subseries of correspondence is comprised of materials collected by Frank Campenni, author and friend of Howard Fast,
for use in the composition of Campenni's Ph.D. dissertation, "Citizen Howard Fast," and a planned but never completed biography
of Fast. Over the course of Campenni's research, Fast provided Campenni with photocopies and some original materials from
his personal papers. Subsequently, in 2003, Campenni's widow Jeanine Campenni donated these materials to the University of
Wisconsin--Milwaukee. In 2006, several files from the Frank Campenni collection of Howard Fast papers at University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee
were transferred to the University of Pennsylvania at the request of Mimi Fast. These include original correspondence with
Boris Izakov, Boris Polevoy, and Frank Campenni, as well as original correspondence on "Literature, Soviet Union," "Anti-Fascist
Committees," "Council Arts, Science and Professions," "Workers Unions," and "The Blue Heron Press, Inc." In addition, an unlabeled
folder of original correspondence, here titled "Miscellaneous correspondence" from 1945-1958, was included in this transfer.
This folder is notable for the inclusion of correspondence with Communist party activist Steve Nelson (including that which
originated from his jail cell in 1952-1953), as well as correspondence with others concerning Nelson's imprisonment, and information
on Fast's 1957 renunciation of his Communist Party membership.

Besides the foregoing files of original correspondence there are also several files of photocopied correspondence which seem
to have originated in the Campenni collection. These correspond to existing files in that collection so have been placed in
this sub-series. In large part they are duplicative of originals found throughout the University of Pennsylvania Fast papers,
but some are unique to these papers. The files include "Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee," "Advertising and Publishing, Spartacus,"
"Family," "Maltz, Albert," "May Day," and "Nelson, Steve." This final file on the Communist activist is largely unique to
this collection and complements the original files on Nelson found in the "Miscellaneous correspondence" in this sub-series.

A note in the finding aid of the Campenni collection indicates that a file labeled "Progressive Citizens of America" (UWM
MSS 213, Box 2, Folder 14) was also among the materials transferred to University of Pennsylvania, but these material are
not to be found within Penn's Howard Fast papers. Aside from some slight re-arrangement within the files, these materials
from the Campenni collection have been maintained in the order and groupings in which they were received.

U Miscellaneous (including United States, Central Intelligence Agency, United States, District Court for the District of Columbia,
United States, House Un-American Activities Committee, United States, Selective Service Board, United States, Senate Committee
on the Judiciary, Willard Uphaus), 1942-1979, undated.

II. Journals, appointment books, address books, financials.

Box

Folder

Travel journal (road trip from the Fast's home in New York through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri,
Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, Mexico, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington,
DC, for the purposes of undertaking research for
The Last Frontier in Oklahoma and at the Library of Congress; also includes a second car trip throughout Mexico), 1939-1941.

13

19

Travel journal (written while Fast was a war correspondent in North Africa, India, and Burma (Myanmar), includes stops in
Casablanca, Tripoli, Benghazi, Cairo, New Delhi, Calcutta, Colombo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, Suez Canal),
1945.

The Price of Liberty: A Play (adapted and dramatized by George Morris, published New York, NY: National Jewish Welfare Board), 1950.

58

4

Tony and the Wonderful Door (musical score of an opera by Vlad Opran, published Bucureşti: Editura Muzicală), 1999.

58

5

Torquemada (typescript, screenplay by George Kaczender), undated.

58

6

G. Story ideas.

Box

Folder

The American Revolution, 2000.

58

7

Ben Gurion, undated.

58

8

Beverly Hills, 1976.

58

9

Billy Sol Estes, 1962, undated.

58

10

The Correspondents, 1973 May 23.

58

11

Fables of Remarkable Men, undated.

58

12

George Washington screenplay proposal, 2000 February 4.

58

13

Golda Meir play material, 1975 October 22.

58

14

Gutenberg Bible story material, 1969, undated.

58

15

In the Beginning, a celebration of the Bicentennial, undated.

58

16

Israel interview, 1974 December 4.

58

17

Jerusalem letter, 1979 January 4.

58

18

Jerusalem map, undated.

58

19

Jesus at Sixteen, 1973 January 18.

58

20

The Lives of Jenny Dolan: "The Fix", undated.

58

21

The Millbrook Mob, 1974 April 27.

58

22

Miscellaneous story ideas, 1975, undated.

59

1

Opera libretto, undated.

59

2

Robin Hood, 1974 August 29.

59

3

Science fiction plots, undated.

59

4

Worksheets (notes on manila folders for the following titles:
The Assassin,
Barbara Lavette,
Being Red,
The Bridge Builder's Story,
California,
The Case of the Kidnapped Angel,
The Case of the Poisoned Eclairs,
The Case of the Russian Diplomat,
The Case of the Sliding Pool,
The Case of the Treskilling Yellow,
Citizen Tom Paine (screenplay),
The Cold Cold Box,
Cynthia,
Denmark,
Helen,
The Hunter,
Korczak,
Lydia,
Margie,
Max,
Millie,
The Novelist,
One Penny Orange,
Penelope,
Power,
Rachel,
The Republic of Irving,
Revolution,
Sally,
Samantha,
Seven Days in June,
Shirley,
The Trap,
The Trap (screenplay),
The Trial of Abigail Goodman,
The Woman, and several illegible), undated.

"Why We Were Sent to Prison (New York Letter),"
New Times no. 26 (June 28, 1950): 9-11.

63

9

J. Poetry by Howard Fast and others.

Box

Folder

Chanuka Contata (unpublished typescript), undated.

63

10

Flying Adventures (unpublished typescript), undated.

63

11

Korean Lullabye (New York: American Peace crusade), 1951.

63

12

Miscellaneous poetry (typescripts and clippings, includes "The Clouds," "A Dialogue for Unity," "Exodus '47," "A Hawaiian
Worker Speaks," "I Will Not Forget," "The Japanese Fisherman," "The Little Dead Girl," "A Man and A Woman in Sing Sing Death
House," "The New Silence," "Salud," "Steve Nelson!," "A Song of Peace," "These Are My Hands"), 1947-1953, undated.

63

13

Never to Forget: The Battle of the Warsaw Ghetto (New York: Book League of Jewish Peoples Fraternal Order), 1946.

Bound periodicals 7 ("New Guinea Commandos,"
Young America: The National Newsweekly for Youth (September 16, 1942): "Air Base,"
Young America: The National Newsweekly for Youth (September 30, 1942): 8; "American Seaman,"
Young America: The National Newsweekly for Youth (October 14, 1932): 8; "Nurse on Bataan," Young America: The National Newsweekly for Youth (October 28, 1942): 8; "The Story
of Slim,"
Young America: The National Newsweekly for Youth (November 11, 1942): 8; "How Yuang Died for China,"
Young America: The National Newsweekly for Youth (January 11, 1943): 10), 1932-1942.

American Russian Institute of San Francisco,
The Story of a Long Friendship, 1931-1956: The First 25 Years of the American Russian Institute of San Francisco Building
Cultural Relations and Understanding between the United States and the Soviet Union (San Francisco: American Russian Institute of San Francisco), 1956.

71

4

Herbert Aptheker,
The Labor Movement in the South During Slavery (New York: International Publishers), 1954.

71

5

Herbert Aptheker,
Negro History: Its Lessons for Our Time (New York: New Century Publishers), 1956.

71

6

Nikolay Aleksandrovich Bulganin and Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev,
Report to the Supreme Soviet on the trip to India, Burma and Afghanistan (New York: New Century Publishers), 1956.

Communist Party of the United States v. Subversive Activities Control Board: Motion and Brief for Leave to File Brief as Amici Curiae, Royal W. France, Attorney for the Amici Curiae (U.S. 1955) (N.p.:
n.p.), 1955.

71

10

A Day in the Life of a Worker (Washington, DC: Legation of the Hungarian People's Republic), 1952.

The Freedom to Read: A Statement prepared by the Westchester Conference of the American Library Association and the American
Book Publishers Council, May 2 and 3, 1953 (Chicago: American Library Association), 1953.

John Howard Lawson v. United States of America and
Dalton Trumbo v. United States of America: Brief of Alexander Meiklejohn, of Cultural Workers in Motion Pictures and Other Arts, and of Members of the Professions,
As Amici Curiae (Supreme Court of the United States, 1949) (Los Angeles: Parker), 1949.

71

24

Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev,
The Crimes of the Stalin Era, Special Report to the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (New York: New Leader), 1956.

72

1

Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev,
Report of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union to the 20th Party Congress (Moscow: Foreign Languages Publishing House), 1956.

Subcommittee to Investigate the Administration of the Internal Security Act and Other Internal Security Laws of the Committee
on the Judiciary, United States Senate,
The Communist Party of the United States of America: What It Is, How It Works; A Handbook for Americans (Washington: United States Government Printing Office), 1956.

Bartolomeo Vanzetti,
The Story of a Proletarian Life (Boston: Sacco-Vanzetti New Trial League), 1924.

72

16

Violence in Peekskill: A Report of the Violations of Civil Liberties at Two Paul Robeson Concerts Near Peekskill, N.Y., August
27th and September 4th, 1949 (New York: American Civil Liberties Union), 1949.

Awards including Honor Role of Race Relations, The Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature of the New York Public Library,
1944; A Page One Must "for striving to rekindle the true purpose of American Democracy through his books 'The American' and
'Freedom Road'," The Newspaper Guild of New York, 1947; Annual Book Award for
April Morning, The Secondary Education Board, 1962; The Best Book of the Year 1972 for
The Hessian, "Oppie" Award certificate, 1972; Television Writing Achievement nomination for
Benjamin Franklin, "The Ambassador," Writers Guild of America Annual Award, 1974; Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series nomination for
The Ambassador: Benjamin Franklin, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Emmy Awards), 1974-1975; Television Writing Achievement nomination
for "21 Hours at Munich," Writers Guild of America Annual Award, 1976), 1944-1976.

Howard Fast and others (including one courtesy of the New York Post; with Muhammad Ali and others; Fast on television; with
other "Literary Lions" at the New York Public Library; visiting location of "The Winston Affair" in England; at Howard Fast
Tribute with Dr. E. Franklin Frazier and Mother Bloor, among others) (multiple photographers), 1944-1977, undated.

X. Audiovisual materials [RESTRICTED].

Scope and Contents note

Access to original audiovisual materials is restricted. The Kislak Center will provide access to the information on these
materials from duplicate master files. If the original does not already have a copy, it will be sent to an outside vendor
for copying. Patrons are financially responsible for the cost. The turnaround time from request to delivery of digital items
is about two weeks for up to five items and three to seven weeks for more than five items. Please contact Reprographic Services
(reprogr@upenn.edu) for cost estimates and ordering. Once digital items are received, researchers will have access to the
files on a dedicated computer in the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center. Researchers should be aware of specifics of copyright
law and act accordingly.

A&E Original Movie Presentation, "Jeff Daniels as George Washington: The Crossing," includes invitation to west coast premiere,
January 5, 2000; publicity photograph of Daniels as George Washington; press release; and informational sheets including cast
list, production credits, synopsis, interviews with Howard Fast, Jeff Daniels and Sebastian Roche, biographies of Fast and
Daniels, biography of George Washington, "true or false" quiz on George Washington, 19 color slides from the production, 1
videocassette (VHS) not present, 1999.